Actually penning an article about the season 4 cliffhanger, Gethsemane, many moons ago of the X-Files and Mulder's (David Duchovny) demise I noticed some similarities between Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Mulder's 'relationship' and her actions towards Mulder and some of the issues raised in Tour of Duty (TOD). Sure many of you will recall this series about the Vietnam War. Situations which are not only common in war, but during everyday life. (A most suitable digression as it enables me to ramble on about 'spooky' goings-on - a very favourite topic of mine.)
Firstly there are relationships between ordinary friends; then there are those between colleagues and people thrown together cos of situations and circumstances beyond their control. Scully's relationship with Mulder focused on ultimate betrayal. Human beings are frail - life even frailer - yet we do not understand one another as well as we may perceive to; or should. Scully's ultimate betrayal came with her expressing Mulder's frailty and naivete, as well as his vulnerability.
Is Mulder dead? (Of course we know/knew better.) Are we gullible enough to believe that Mulder was so weak that he finally gave up and lost his fight - in the end at his own hands. Did he "Believe the lies". After being through so much - experiencing the unexplainable, such as the disappearance of his sister, Samantha; the murder of his father...we are to believe this was all an elaborate hoax by the Government - but why? (What about the expense involved - the tax payers millions - they obviously have no regard for human life.)
They were carrying out experiments on their own kind - on the population of the world. A cover up/conspiracy exists to hide the fact that aliens exist or don't exist? What are we to believe anymore?
Robert Louis Stevenson wrote, "the cruelest lies are often told in silence." The very crux of human nature is the ability to lie and to deceive. To say one thing and mean another, or a to say nothing at all when they should speak out against injustices. Perhaps his quote can be applied to Governments (bureaucrats) to military personnel.
Lies and cover-ups (conspiracies) have become an all too common factor in our existence. They may be more pronounced in the 1960's but are still common even today. Episode 42 of TOD A Bodyguard of Lies showed human nature at its most cruelest and warfare at its most deadliest and dangerous. The abhorrent massacre of innocent civilians by a 'platoon' out of control. Miscreants who had to be brought to justice at all costs. 'Costs' being the operative word, as the military transferred the men involved to other units: to hide the truth - as if that tiny population of a small village was negligible; it did not matter! "People are strategic." (Episode 3 Dislocations.)
The episode title in episode 42 was attributed to Winston Churchill's quote, "in war the truth is so valuable it must be protected by a bodyguard of lies..." But whose version of the truth? And whose lies? Irony perhaps? As surely they did not believe that such matters had to be concealed, but for whose benefit? What purpose would a cover-up achieve?
If there were no court martials brought - there would be no justice, truth would be the victim. This would leave open an invitation for such actions (massacres) to become commonplace. Justice involves retribution; but for these victims it was too little, too late. They strived to show man's inhumanity against man. Truth becomes manipulated - even more doubly in wartime.
Hence the parallels, although applied to aliens, governments etc in The X-Files - there was really a subliminal message that the truth can be easily twisted and used.
The question I want to know is why? Why Mulder? Why out of all the people in the entire universe who believe in UFOs and EBEs, did the government choose to dupe Mulder? (Okay apart from the fact it adds material for more episodes). Cos he wasn't the only one who who wanted to "believe" or "believed." We had numerous flashbacks to his childhood - his sister's abduction; father's murder; mother's affair - was Mulder chosen cos of what his father knew about the 'project.'?
Scully's scientific opinion, "over the course of three years he became a victim - a victim of his own false hope and of his belief in the biggest of lies," is of no use! But fear not - for Mulder returns to get to the bottom of things (thank goodness). After all the "Truth is [still] out there" but whose version or creation?
From this stems the question - if he was fooled into this false sense of 'aliens' by the government - why did Scully - if she was such a rational, methodical scientist - go along with him on every case, encounter (she needed the money? -ha) she put forward her own explanations and her own 'sceptic' views - yet she could have walked out on Mulder and left it all behind her - then she wouldn't be a victim of the government now either; cos that's exactly what she is now too - a victim!
Why was there such a need for a massive blanket over the amount of information given to the men themselves. Obviously there was the secrecy aspect: that the other side should not find out anything strategic. Support was dwindling but a cover-up was maintained as a denial to protect those that took part in such activities - as those in command would be held accountable or personally responsible. But even after the war secrecy existed surrounding the facts on certain actions by 'rogue' troops, eg the treatment of POWs, civilians...
Scully blames Mulder for her disease, the truth (if there is any) is that she contributed to her condition as well. (Self apportioned liability is the legal term). From season 1 episode 1 (Pilot) she was sent to 'spy' on Mulder, to report (to the men in dark suits) on his feelings and his "incredible manipulations." She 'walked into with her eyes open! Now Mulder is searching for a cure for her - is this cos he feels guilt or is it genuine concern for someone who finally showed little regard for him - evidenced by her actions.
Certain areas in TOD weren't really explored as fully as they could have been. One is the rather 'grey' issue of faith and war. A hazy issue cos so many people can be offended. Hence the non-association. Episode 42 A Necessary End where McKay (Dan Gauthier) finds ('religion') faith - well not so much a 'religion' but a nun (who he subsequently asks out to dinner - ugh). Well, actually he was in search of peace and meaning to their purpose for being 'over here.' To find out the answer's to life's mysteries (something we'd all like to know) like why he's doing what he's doing what he does best (in flying) - a waste of time; life? But WB Yeats: An Irish Airman Foresees His Death summed up his sentiments beautifully. Well the four lines that were used.
"I balanced all, brought all to mind,
The years to come seemed waste of breath,
A waste of breath the years behind,
In balance with this life, this death."
Yet the remainder of the poem holds a certain sense of truth and poignancy to it as well. Like McKay's character, Yeats' pilot in the poem only went into battle cos of his love of flying and nothing else. Not for God, countrymen, country, justice or freedom. (In fact this poem was one of the first I read at school all those years ago - I knew there was a point to reading it.) But there are times of trouble and life when poetry does sum up a whole sepia of emotions which sometimes otherwise would be heard to express.
What of Scully - she was kidnapped and infected by the very people she works for. Now she's dying. What of her scepticism now? Who or what does she believe was the cause of her disease? She wants (and always needed) proof - hard facts to substantiate Mulder's claims. She questioned his every move and belief cos, "every answer lies in science". Now that very science she holds so dear to her - her own belief in fact cannot help her overcome her fears and fight her disease. Her cure does not lie in science but with the Government itself. What about her faith in God? In the unseen. She has lost that too by betraying Mulder (she blames him for her cancer) - "they infected me to make you believe."
Then there was Doc in TOD being ostracised when he refused to shoot an escaping prisoner in Episode 55 War Is A Contact Sport. This is heralded as the "ultimate betrayal" in the eyes of a soldier. (The rules in the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners spring to mind here.) But in war, how meticulously are such rules adhered to and who monitors these? (Other than JAG - but that's usually only when a legal grievance is aired or when a certain situation merits investigation. Not every country has one of these)
Doc's actions were seen as irrational and cowardly - but did those that signed up as Medics have to fight? They didn't have to fight, which is why many 'Conscientious objectors' who did not want to fight but still wanted to contribute to keeping their fellow countrymen alive were assigned to positions of medics. If they wanted to fight then they could do so. It was their personal choice. They did not take the Hippocratic oath (hypocritic?) as doctors do - but they were also responsible for human lives and shouldn't have had to take them. Re Army Chaplains who weren't expected to carry a gun or fight. His actions (lack of) were seen as selfish. 'Mulder's fight' and 'Doc's fight' was a kind of self-serving sacrifice, to be singled out and be betrayed cos of their beliefs. Their faith was what they retained - that helped them to overcome and to come to terms with what they had to do; to endure and the atrocities they witnessed.
It seemed that time and again, it was Ruiz who constantly referred to his faith. The death of the chaplain left him (shell) shocked and 'jinxed.' He refused to enter the cemetery out of respect for the dead. (Episode 40 The Ties That Bind). Perhaps faith can overcome irrationality.
Scully's own 'irrationality' will be demonstrated in the episode, Emily where she attempts to adopt a little girl cos she reminds her of her dead sister. The Government had one purpose and one purpose only - to make everyone so incredulous about anything that was ever found on the subject of EBEs and UFOs, that in the end we believe nothing at all, not even the truth!
A sort of irony in itself - in the end can we say that what Mulder experienced was so unbelievable that finally in the end - perhaps there was some truth in the lies.
Hope you enjoy this and well, if not, then maybe you can debate it and come up with some of your own answers. It was a while since this was written!
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